Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment of Government of India has launched Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana in the year 2017. Many senior citizens of India suffers from some sort of disabilities related to old age. The Government provides physical aids and assisted-living devices for such senior citizens belonging to BPL category under this scheme. In this article, we look at the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana scheme in detail.

Objectives of Rahtriya Vayoshri Yojana

Census figures of 2011 shown that the population of senior citizens in India is 10.38 crore. Further, more than 70% of the population of senior citizens are living in rural areas of our country and in that 52 percentages of the senior citizens suffers from old age-related disabilities. The Government of India has thus introduced this Central scheme to provide assisted living devices and physical aids for senior citizens suffering from infirmities or disabilities.

Duration

The proposal for implementation of Rahtriya Vayoshri Yojana scheme was announced in the 2015-2016 financial year budget. Pursuant to this, The Rahtriya Vayoshri Yojana scheme duration will be 3 years (2017 to 2020). The scheme has been implemented through the following agencies:

Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO)
PSUs under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Department

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility criteria to avail the benefits of Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana are explained below.

The age of the senior citizen should be 60 years.
This scheme is only applicable to senior citizens who are below poverty line i.e., BPL card holder.

Disability or Infirmity

Senior citizens suffering from the below mentioned disability or infirmity will be provided with assisted-living devices which can restore near normalcy in their bodily function, overcoming the disability manifested.

Low vision
Hearing impairment
Loss of teeth
Locomotors disability

Aids and Assisted-Living Devices

Depending upon the physical impairment of senior citizens the below-mentioned aids and assisted-living devices will be provided to all eligible beneficiaries of Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana.

Walking sticks
Elbow crutches
Walkers / Crutches
Tripods / Quad pods
Hearing aids
Artificial dentures
Spectacles

Beneficiary Selection

Beneficiaries in each district of India will be identified by the State Governments or Union Territories Administrations through a Committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioner or District Collector. 30% of the beneficiaries in each district will be women. For identification of senior citizens belonging to BPL category, State Government, UT Administration or District Level Committee will collect data of BPL beneficiaries receiving Old Age Pension under the NSAP or any other Start Government Schemes.

Distribution of Devices

Aids and assisted-living devices will be distributed to all eligible senior citizens in camp mode and this distribution is for free of cost. In case of multiple disabilities or infirmities manifested in one person, the assistive devices will be given in respect of each disability.

District Covered under RVY

Almost all states and Union Territories major cities in India is covered under RVY scheme. List of districts where the scheme has implemented is given here.

S. NO.	State / UT	DISTRICT
1.	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	South Andaman, Middle & North Andaman
2.	Andhra Pradesh	Vishakhapatnam
Nellore
3.	Arunachal Pradesh	West Kameng
Pasinghat
4.	Assam	Kamrup
Sonipur
5.	Bihar	Buxar
West Champaran
6.	Chandigarh	Chandigarh
7.	Chhattisgarh	Raipur
Bastar
8.	Dadra and Nagar Haveli	Dadra and Nagar Haveli
9.	Daman and Diu	Daman and Diu
10.	Goa	North Goa
South Goa
11.	Gujarat	Vadodara
Ahmadabad
12.	Haryana	Karnal
Ambala
13.	Himachal Pradesh	Shimla
Hamirpur
14.	Jammu and Kashmir	Srinagar
Udhampur
15.	Jharkhand	Gumla
Ranchi
16.	Karnataka	South Bangalore
Dharwad
17.	Kerala	Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
18.	Madhya Pradesh	Khandwa
Ujjain
19.	Maharashtra	Nagpur
Dhule
20.	Delhi	Karol Bagh
Chandni Chowk
21.	Odisha	Sundargarh
Angul
22.	Punjab	Gurdaspur
Hoshiarpur
23.	Rajasthan	Jhalawar
Bikaner
24.	Tamil Nadu	Kanyakumari
South Chennai
25.	Telangana	Hyderabad
Karimnagar
26.	Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow
Varanasi
27.	Uttarakhand	Haridwar
Almora
28.	West Bengal	Asansol
Darjeeling
29.	Manipur	Imphal (West) Imphal (East)
30.	Meghalaya	East Jaintia Hills Ri Bhoi
31.	Mizoram	Aizwal Champhai
32.	Nagaland	Dimapur Kohima
33.	Tripura	Unokoti Dhalai
34.	Lakshadweep	Lakshadweep
35.	Puducherry	Olukara Karaikal
36.	Sikkim	East Sikkim South Sikkim

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana Senior Citizen Aid India.

The Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana is a Central Government scheme launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It aims to provide assisted-living devices and physical aids free of cost to senior citizens belonging to the BPL category who suffer from age-related disabilities or infirmities.

To be eligible for the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana, a senior citizen must be 60 years or older, hold a BPL (Below Poverty Line) card, and suffer from disabilities or infirmities such as low vision, hearing impairment, loss of teeth, or locomotor disabilities.

Depending on the type of disability or infirmity, the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana provides various aids and assisted-living devices, including walking sticks, elbow crutches, walkers, tripods, quad pods, hearing aids, artificial dentures, and spectacles.

Beneficiaries are identified by a committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioner or District Collector in each district. The committee collects data on BPL senior citizens receiving old age pension under government schemes. Additionally, 30% of the beneficiaries in each district must be women.

The aids and assisted-living devices are distributed free of cost to eligible senior citizens through camps organized in various districts across India. If a senior citizen has multiple disabilities or infirmities, they will receive assistive devices for each condition.

The scheme covers almost all states and Union Territories in India, including major cities. The article provides a list of districts where the scheme has been implemented, covering 36 states and Union Territories.

The Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana was initially proposed in the 2015-2016 financial year budget and has a duration of 3 years, from 2017 to 2020.

The scheme is implemented through the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO) and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The primary objective of the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana is to provide assisted living devices and physical aids to senior citizens suffering from infirmities or disabilities, helping them overcome their disabilities and restore near normalcy in their bodily functions.

The Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana was introduced by the Government of India to address the needs of the growing senior citizen population in the country, particularly those living in rural areas and suffering from age-related disabilities. According to the 2011 Census, more than 70% of senior citizens in India live in rural areas, and 52% suffer from old age-related disabilities.